Wednesday, May 11, 2016

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

Hey everyone! These last few weeks have been crazy busy. As you can see from my previous post, I went to Killarney three weeks ago (three weeks already??!), however what you don't know is that I went to Northern Ireland the following weekend. In addition to these weekend trips, I have been busy finishing up presentations, group projects, and half-heartedly studying for exams. I probably shouldn't be studying half-heartedly, but I currently have a cold (again!) so that pretty much cuts down on all levels of productiveness.

Back to the trips though... Killarney was absolutely positively beautiful! If you want to see photos, check out my previous post. If I was to come back to Ireland, I may set up shop around the Ring of Kerry. The landscape is mesmerizing. The following weekend however I went on a three day trip with Cork Institute of Technology to various places in Northern Ireland; Derry/Londonderry, Giant's Causeway, and Belfast were the primary locations visited. In addition to looking at the natural landscapes, and some Game of Thrones filming locations, we also had political tours of areas that were heavily affected by the Troubles.

As a George Mitchell Scholar, I am in Ireland because Senator George Mitchell played a leading role in the peace talks in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. This scholarship was developed to promote global exchange, and encourage peace between all cultures and backgrounds. Now, I will admit that I didn't know too much about these Troubles prior to being in Ireland, nothing past some basic research before arriving here. Having the chance to see where it all occurred was honestly eye-opening. Now obviously I saw everything through the eyes of a tourist, so what I saw was barely a reflection of the actual events. However as a tourist in Ireland I do think it is important to go to Northern Ireland to see some of its history. I didn't get to spend much time in the cities, but there is so much to learn there that I hope I can go back one day to experience it more. If anyone of you get a chance to come to Ireland, please take my advice and go to Northern Ireland as well.

On another note, my time in Ireland is almost at an end. I have two (three?) more weeks left in Ireland, and then I am off to the UK for a 10 day adventure. After that, back to the US I go. I'll likely do one more post before leaving, and then one after I get back to the US. Many thanks to those who have read my posts, I hope I haven't bored you too much!

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About Me

I am a 20 year old college student living in Cork, Ireland for one semester. My goal while here? To push my limits. Call it stereotypical, but I am on a journey of self-discovery (and homework...can't forget the homework).